Comment on This week’s poll: should Gatwick or Heathrow be allowed to expand? by Jack Broughton

A decision on airport expansion in England has reportedly been put on hold to give cabinet ministers the chance to air their views today.

According to the BBC, the Economic Affairs (Transport) sub-committee will then make the final choice on whether to back Heathrow or Gatwick. The BBC reports that the committee could meet on 25 October, with an announcement possible on the same day.

In July 2015 the Airports Commission published its final report on airport expansion, with Heathrow identified as being the preferred option over Gatwick.

In his foreword to the final report, commission chairman Howard Davies, urged government to make an early decision on the commission’s recommendations.

“Further delay will be increasingly costly and will be seen, nationally and internationally, as a sign that the UK is unwilling or unable to take the steps needed to maintain its position as a well-connected open trading economy in the twenty first century,” he said.

Heathrow believes expansion will provide an immediate economic boost and support up to 2,700 jobs and connect all parts of Britain to new trading routes beyond Europe.

“Heathrow currently handles 29 per cent of non-EU UK exports while Gatwick moves 0.2 per cent and has no plan to build the infrastructure to move more,” the company said in September, 2016.